I don't think I could go back to Rider Waite after using the TdM style with my Soprafino deck; it's just so much better.

The Soprafino is just so finely tuned into what's going on with me. I don't even need to ask a question and it will pin point exactly what's on my mind. I did a reading last night - first with the Rider Waite deck and then with the Soprafino - asking the same question; and the Soprafino reading was just so much better.

Sorry that I keep on saying "It's just so much better" LOL; I don't know how else to describe it. It just *is*.

The reading with the Rider Waite was so irrelevant and obscure that I put the cards away in the cupboard and said to myself "That's the last time I use the Rider Waite deck".

I think it's interesting how you can be so connected to/finely tuned into a deck and not others.

That's awesome! Decks are so subjective though! (like anything! Everyone has their own thang!)

I can read with a specific RWS clone deck, (hellooooo Daniloff!) and it will give me amazing answers, above and beyond other RWS clone decks. Or, I can reach into a treasure trove of other decks I am lucky enough to have, and get good insight there, too. Though maybe, less clear.

I am not sure it is the medium, so much as the message.

That said, use what suits you! it is all good. The important thing is, that you are able to get the message! I am with you in celebrating that! Raise a glass!

PS

I personally know someone here who uses animal cracker cookies to read with, and damned if she isn't as accurate as all get-out!

That's awesome! Decks are so subjective though! (like anything! Everyone has their own thang!)

I can read with a specific RWS clone deck, (hellooooo Daniloff!) and it will give me amazing answers, above and beyond other RWS clone decks. Or, I can reach into a treasure trove of other decks I am lucky enough to have, and get good insight there, too. Though maybe, less clear.

I am not sure it is the medium, so much as the message.

That said, use what suits you! it is all good. The important thing is, that you are able to get the message! I am with you in celebrating that! Raise a glass!

PS

I personally know someone here who uses animal cracker cookies to read with, and damned if she isn't as accurate as all get-out!

That is great about your friend with the animal crackers! Yes, I agree - use what works!

I don't think I could go back to Rider Waite after using the TdM style with my Soprafino deck; it's just so much better.

I think it's interesting how you can be so connected to/finely tuned into a deck and not others.

I always say, pick a deck that TALKS to you to start with. One that you look at pictures and you KNOW what that card means. Some find that in RWS decks or in Lemonde style decks or in Marseilles style decks. There is no one true way. So don't apologize and don't explain.

Also: Lotus Padma, as I have talked about before, anything can be used as an oracle. I use candy hearts myself! (and M&M's)
barb

I felt the same way when I began working with it -- like I was infatuated, and had finally found my "One & Only"!
I even posted on this Forum, asking for advice on whether or not I should sell off the rest of my deck collection (!)

Today I'm happy that I didn't get rid of all my other RWS-prototypes, because once my "Honeymoon Phase" with the TdM wore off a bit, I was once again drawn to the rich variety of my other decks!
And then I fell in love with the Thoth, and was "monogamous" with that deck for a while...went back to the RWS....eventually had my Tarot world rocked by Dark Carnival..., etc.

I've come to understand that, personally, I place high value on variety; also, that each deck has something special to offer, its own voice & tone.

Finally, I must note that in my experience, most Querents unfamiliar with Tarot just don't "get" the TdM -- it goes right over their heads.
Since my reading style tends to be very interactive, like a joint exploration with the Querent, I try to find a deck that they can easily relate to, and my experiences using the TdM with such novices were unfortunately huge flops!

I don't mean to be discouraging in any way, just sharing my own findings on this Tarot path we walk.
Good luck and have a great time with the TdM, it is a fantastic tool for unlocking the intuition even more, and is very liberating!

I always say, pick a deck that TALKS to you to start with. One that you look at pictures and you KNOW what that card means. Some find that in RWS decks or in Lemonde style decks or in Marseilles style decks. There is no one true way. So don't apologize and don't explain.

Also: Lotus Padma, as I have talked about before, anything can be used as an oracle. I use candy hearts myself! (and M&M's)
barb

I think one of the reasons why it doesn't speak to me is because I find the artwork unattractive and ugly. There is no beauty in it for me and I find this really off-putting. I think it has a Children's Bible Stories look whereas the Soprafino has all the beauty and opulence of The Vatican. Do you know what I mean?

I felt the same way when I began working with it -- like I was infatuated, and had finally found my "One & Only"!
I even posted on this Forum, asking for advice on whether or not I should sell off the rest of my deck collection (!)

Today I'm happy that I didn't get rid of all my other RWS-prototypes, because once my "Honeymoon Phase" with the TdM wore off a bit, I was once again drawn to the rich variety of my other decks!
And then I fell in love with the Thoth, and was "monogamous" with that deck for a while...went back to the RWS....eventually had my Tarot world rocked by Dark Carnival..., etc.

I've come to understand that, personally, I place high value on variety; also, that each deck has something special to offer, its own voice & tone.

Finally, I must note that in my experience, most Querents unfamiliar with Tarot just don't "get" the TdM -- it goes right over their heads.
Since my reading style tends to be very interactive, like a joint exploration with the Querent, I try to find a deck that they can easily relate to, and my experiences using the TdM with such novices were unfortunately huge flops!

I don't mean to be discouraging in any way, just sharing my own findings on this Tarot path we walk.
Good luck and have a great time with the TdM, it is a fantastic tool for unlocking the intuition even more, and is very liberating!

LOL, yes I'm definitely in the honeymoon phase with my Soprafino!

At first I was a bit intimidated by the idea of learning the TdM style. It seemed so technical and complex, and there are no scenic minors! I was like "What the hell?!" LOL. But I don't feel that way now and I actually like how you can be so creative and free with it. Yes, it is very liberating and fun!

I think the Rider-Waite type decks are unduly restrictive on the interpretations. However, I believe that total freedom on the interpretation of the pips is counter-productive. Otherwise, why use any deck? IMO there must be some system of interpretation of the pips. Otherwise, 'anything goes' depends entirely on one's intuition, which is unreliable unless one is a so-called psychic.

Otherwise, 'anything goes' depends entirely on one's intuition, which is unreliable unless one is a so-called psychic.

One could argue that Tarot is a tool for developing intuitive, maybe even psychic, skillls -- there have been many discussions on this topic here on AT.

In terms of developing psychic ability, I'd venture that the RWS illustrated pips are like "training wheels" for the intuition, whereas TdM pips really force the reader to flex their intuitive "muscles".

I don't see what's wrong with "anything goes", if the reader/medium has advanced to this point? There are so many examples of people giving accurate readings using blank index cards, crackers, etc.

In a different thread on divination techniques, a reader that is very experienced in pendulum divination commented that, at this point, she doesn't even need to use a physical pendulum, having advanced to simply sensing the answers to questions in the form of "rotations" in her mind.

I believe the intuition is like any skill, in that it can be trained and developed with continuous practice, and therefore can become more reliable as it advances to new levels. I can easily imagine a time when I do not need the cards anymore -- I love Tarot, but as a developmental tool it may very well prove to be a stepping stone for fine-tuning my intuitive abilities.

Since we use the word "psychics" in the English language, wouldn't it go without saying that they are "so-called"?
I'm bilingual, and its fascinating to compare the word for "psychic" in Russian -- literally translated as "extra-sensor".
Aren't all Tarot readers "extra-sensory" to some degree? After all, we use paper cards with pictures on them to access information about the physical world -- really quite an absurd and farfetched concept, if you think about it!
In this context, I feel the "anything goes" aspect of un-illustrated TdM pips (versus the "reliability" of illustrated RWS minors) is really a minor distinction.

Again, my main issue with TdM is that, when reading for others, most Querents aren't advanced enough to access the full meanings of un-illustrated pips without the "training wheels" offered by RWS.
Sure, I could simply tell a Querent what I think the cards are saying, but it just seems to hit home harder and make more of an impact when the Querent can see the connections in the cards for themselves.

.....Again, my main issue with TdM is that, when reading for others, most Querents aren't advanced enough to access the full meanings of un-illustrated pips without the "training wheels" offered by RWS......

I agree totally. I just don't think that "anything goes" is appropriate for the Marseille pips. Without a meaningful structure the cards communicate no intrinsic message.